About Class

I truly enjoyed the class and I thought you gave us plenty of food for thougtht. I learned more than I can remember however, I retained and recorded things that I can use later. Next year I plan to surprise my students with incorporating technology in my class. I am excited and somewhat nervous about technology implementation but it is very necessary for our students. I feel this was one classes that is worth every penny of tution cost.
Thank You! for an eye opening experience.

2500.00 for my classroom

I am excited about technology in the classroom. I think students would benefit greatly, I also understand that most businesses are technology ready so this would give students the advantage. If I recieved this money I would invest in a couple of computers for my classroom, however the one thing that I would be interested in would be the smart board which would be a wonderful tool for the classroom.
Computers connects children to the real world. I believe children miss out on opportunities because they are not technology ready having computers in the class room will open up unfamiliar territory, particularly inner city youth who most often don't have it in their home.
This would also educate me and how I can connect math and computers. I would also consider getting a television or some type of device that children can shoot videos or show a podcast that would be made and presented by them. I think podcasting would be a new wave of the future in my classroom. I know the kids would love learning this way. I am excited and I will apply for grants that will make this possible.

Copyright and teachers

Wow! I felt overwhelmed with all of the copyright information but at the same time I felt very informed and concerned. I wondered what copyright law am I breaking, or have I in the past. This week helped me to understand boundries and how important it is to stay within boundries of what's legal or illegal when it comes to copyright laws. I am sure people are violating the copyright laws daily and not know it, however as educators it is important to be informed of these types of things that may come back to haunt you one day. We are constantly on the internet searching for good resources we can still from others that may help us in the classroom and someday may call them our own but we must give credit where credit is due. So in keeping within the copyright laws you must be very carful what you ask for!

Grants for the classroom

If I had to select one from the following list, I would select the Best Buy award. I believe I could best benefit from this award because your money could be used for a vaiety of things that would help you become technolgy ready in class. I think I will apply for this grant, this seems like the type of grant that requires minimum qualifications. I am very interested in integrating technology in my classroom. I think the children would greatly benefit from these experiences, and look forward to class because technology gives a new perspective on life with math.
I am excited about what I've learned from this class however I don't feel as comfortable with technolgy integration to really get started. I will need to take more classes that will give me the comfidence I need to incorporate technology in my lessons.

Google-good or evil

WoW! I am really impressed with all google has to offer, the age of computer technology is obviously growing each day. I felt so ancient after the google presentation it's like I've missed out some where in my life. It's amazing how google keeps and stores all of the information that comes through their site daily like your personal business and others personal information. It scares me to think how easily you could be found by complete strangers who may have met you once or maybe your ID was stolen and this person can now became you with a few clicks of the mouse. On the other hand google could be your best friend just as quick as it being your worst enemy. Google offers a variety of options that makes our lives easier. From communicating with others across the globe to finding your dream job, possible getting rich to cleaning out your bank account what ever you imagine could be googled.

Podcasting-Usage/ Content Area

Wow! I am excited about podcasting, even though I've never thought about it until this class, I now feel this would be something I could incorporate in my classroom. Podcasting captivates the interest of all students from the lowest to highest academically challenged learner. Just the thought of them getting to use their I-pods or computer to enhance learning is always a plus in my book. Although I may need more training on making a podcast it is something I want to learn because kids seem to love it. I think this would be a creative way of teaching concepts and strategies to learners who have short attention spans. Podcasting is a more innovative way to convey thoughts and feelings about the lesson while interactively teaching your students. I think Podcasting is wonderful.

A digital decade

After reading this blog I feel left behind. I know things are changing and our children need more exposure and access to what computers have to offer. A lot of educators are doing such cool things with children using technology to make learning fun. I would like to become more computer literate so I can connect to the future and our students. I have seen slow learners improve through technology, I have seen the unconnected connect due to technology, and I've witnessed reading scores improve through computer reading programs. I know technology will help kids unfortunetly not all people see it this way especially those in positions to make changes at the buliding level. Our kids are suffering as a result of others bad decisions. Our students are not being exposed to computers as much as they need it and computer class once a week is not good enough, they need more!

You Tube

I have mixed emotions about You Tube. I really don't approve of the site for my students or my children at home, however I think some things are o.k. particularly positive information from our young people. I totally approve of teacher tube I think this is the up and coming site of the future for educators and students. As an educator I would not recommend the You Tube site also they are not able to access it from a school computer which indicates parental guidance. I just believe you should be aware of the consequences from postings made by kids such as the You Tube example about the teacher being recorded during class. Younger children also be aware of putting information on the site that others can access.

I think you should proceed with caution!

My thoghts on technology

Thougths and opinions
I thought all the articles were interesting in that each one gave insight on technology and innovations headed or has already arrived in our schools. I am a computer dummy and completely closed off to what kids are doing with computers. It has been my desire to get administration interested in computer math class and lab. My daughter is in the 8th grade and her math class is now a class and lab. I know we are in the age of technology just by what is happening around me and the articles kind of clarified what direction schools should be moving towards.
However, this totally scares me because I feel I will be left behind as an educator who has years to go before retirement. I am willing to learn so my students will enjoy the learning process as those children in the article so immensely enjoyed. I remember the article talking about schools not being able to keep up with technology and a lot of schools still have the old computers in the classroom which happens to be the situation in my classroom and their never used anymore.
I will continue to educate myself about technology in the classroom not only for me but for the kids as well.

Teacher tap video-sharing in the classroom

Teachers tap video-sharing in the classroom

It’s truly amazing how far technology has come in the past ten years. Children are really becoming computer savvy and leaving older adults behind. This particular article discusses how to make a video where students get involved through creation and knowledge. More and more teachers are hooking in to a site like You Tube called Teacher Tube a video sharing site for educators and students.
This is a good resource for teachers who would like to keep up with other educators and what’s happening in their classroom. This site is also features video’s made by kids for kids with the help of their teacher. Students are increasingly becoming more involved with learning from a video produced by other students called “video- sharing” however teachers are responsible for weeding through the videos and selecting what they want their students to see, however the site is screened for appropriateness. Some parents believe Teacher Tube is the way to go because it gets the child interested in learning and students can eventually create their own video. However some parents are concerned about exposing young children in video’s because they can be viewed by anyone that comes to the site. Hoping to improve Teacher Tube is piloting a program that will give schools software to manage video’s on their o

Teachmate A $50 Computer

New “Teachermate”.
Low cost handheld targets elementary students

Chicago nonprofit calls its $50 “teachermate” an affordable way to give every kid a computer
Schools in seven different cities are piloting a program to help public school students become more innovative. The new handheld computer that cost $50 and will be used to teach reading and math is a device being developed to give every kid the opportunity to have a computer.
The teachermate is a device that features a 2.5 inch colored screen, with 512 megabytes of internal memory an SD slot for expandability, a built in microphone and speaker and a battery with a life expectancy of at least 4 hours. The teachmate includes reading and math software also developed by innovations for learning. Teachermate promises to be one of the best innovative educational devices out today.
Teachermate is guaranteed to enhance student reading and math skills. This device is a bridge from the digital world to the first grader, teachers see the kids laugh, learn and enjoy the new Teachermate.

Online Speech Pits Teachers vs. Students

Online Speech Pits Teachers vs. Students



This article is very interesting, I just took a class called Law for Educators and this was one of the issues that were discussed among teachers. What about the student who post inappropriate comments about a teacher, principal or school personnel. What are the consequences if any and what happens to the adult who has become bitter because of the incident?
The young lady in the article got upset because a school event had been canceled and it escalated from there. The article stated that the student wrote a comment in her blog calling the principal d***bag on her online journal and told other students to email the superintendent to complain. After the school principal learned of the incident she was barred from serving on the student council and speaking at her upcoming graduation, this blog is now the subject of first amendment lawsuit. After a National School Board Survey of students postings were found to be disruptive to the schools learning environment. Of those a percentage were creating fake sites for teachers and administrators and a high percentage of students posted inappropriate comments or content.
Clearly students today have a lot more ways to express themselves then in the past or back ten years ago, however I think students should be held accountable for such actions but the freedom of speech clause gives us as a people the right to express ourselves.